अपराधी -जयशंकर प्रसाद

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is lekh ka punarikshan evan sampadan hona avashyak hai. ap isamean sahayata kar sakate haian. "sujhav"

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vanasthali ke rangin sansar mean arun kiranoan ne ithalate hue padarpan kiya aur ve chamak uthian, dekha to komal kisalay aur kusumoan ki pankhuriyaan, basant-pavan ke pairoan ke saman hil rahi thian. pile parag ka aangarag lagane se kiranean pili p d gee. basant ka prabhat tha.

yuvati kamini malin ka kam karati thi. use aur koee n tha. vah is kusum-kanan se phool chun le jati aur mala banakar bechati. kabhi-kabhi use upavas bhi karana p data. par, vah yah kam n chho dati. aj bhi vah phoole hue kachanar ke niche baithi huee, arddh-vikasit kamini-kusumoan ko bina bedhe hue, phande dekar mala bana rahi thi. bhanvar aye, gunagunakar chale gaye. basant ke dootoan ka sandesh usane n suna. malay-pavan anchal u dakar, rookhi latoan ko bikharakar, hat gaya. malin besudh thi, vah phanda banati jati thi aur phooloan ko phansati jati thi.

drut-gati se dau date hue ashv ke pad-shabd ne use trast kar diya. vah apani phooloan ki tokari uthakar bhayabhit hokar sir jhukaye kh di ho gee. rajakumar aj achanak udhar vayu-sevan ke liye a gaye the. unhoanne door hi se dekha, samajh gaye ki vah yuvati trast hai. balavan ashv vahian ruk gaya. rajakumar ne poochha-‘‘tum kaun ho?’’

kurangi kumari ke saman b di-b di aankhe uthakar usane kaha-‘‘malin!’’

‘‘kya tum mala banakar bechati ho?’’

‘‘haan.’’

‘‘yahaan ka rakshak tumhean rokata nahian?’’

‘‘nahian, yahaan koee rakshak nahian hai.’’

‘‘aj tumane kaun-si mala banaee hai?’’

‘‘yahi kamini ki mala bana rahi thi.’’

‘‘tumhara nam kya hai?’’

‘‘kamini.’’

‘‘vah! achchha, tum is mala ko poori karo, maian lautakar-use looanga.’’ darane par bhi malin dhith thi. usane kaha-‘‘dhoop nikal ane par kamini ka saurabh kam ho jayaga.’’

‘‘maian shighr aooanga’’-kahakar rajakumar chale gaye.

malin ne mala bana dali. kiranean pratiksha mean lal-pili hokar dhaval ho chalian. rajakumar lautakar nahian aye. tab usi or chali-jidhar rajakumar gaye the.

yuvati bahut door n gee hogi ki rajakumar lautakar doosare marg se usi sthan par aye. malin ko n dekhakar pukarane lage-‘‘malin! o malin!’’

dooragat kokil ki pukar-sa vah svar usake kan mean p da tha. vah laut aee. hathoan mean kamini ki mala liye vah van-lakshmi ke saman lauti. rajakumar usi din-saundary ko sakutoohal dekh rahe the. kamini ne mala gale mean pahana di. rajakumar ne apana kaushey ushnish kholakar malin ke oopar pheank diya. kaha-‘‘jao, ise pahanakar ao.’’ ashchary aur bhay se lataoan ki jhuramut mean jakar usane ajnanusar kaushey vasan pahana.

bahar aee, to ujjval kiranean usake aang-aang par hansate-hansate lot-pot ho rahi thian. rajakumar muskaraye aur kaha-‘‘aj se tum is kusum-kanan ki van-palika huee ho. smaran rakhana.’’

rajakumar chale gaye. malin kiankartavyavimoodh hokar madhook-vriksh ke niche baith gee.

bhag 2

basant bit gaya. garmi jalakar chali gee. kanan mean hariyali phail rahi thi. shyamal ghatayean akash mean aur shasy-shobha dharani par ek saghan-saundary ka srijan kar rahi thi. van-palika ke charoan or mayoor gherakar nachate the. sandhya mean ek sundar utsav ho raha tha. rajani aee. van-palika ke kutir ko tam ne gher liya. moosaladhar vrishti hone lagi. yuvati prakriti ka mad-vihval lasy tha. van-palika parn-kutir ke vatayan se chakit hokar dekh rahi thi. sahasa bahar kampit kanth se shabd hua-‘‘ashray chahie!’’ van-palika ne kaha-‘‘tum kaun ho?’’

‘‘ek aparadhi.’’

‘‘tab yahaan sthan nahian hai.’’

‘‘vichar kar uttar do, kahian ashray n dekar tum aparadh n kar baitho.’’ van-palika vicharane lagi. bahar se phir sunaee p da-‘‘vilamb hone se pranoan ki ashanka hai.’’

van-palika nissankoch uthi aur usane dvar khol diya. agantuk ne bhitar pravesh kiya. vah ek balishth yuvak tha, sahas usaki mukhakriti thi. van-palika ne poochha-‘‘tumane kaun-sa aparadh kiya hai?’’

‘‘b da bhari aparadh hai, prabhat hone par sunaooanga. is ratri mean keval ashray do.’’-kahakar agantuk apana adrr vastr nicho dane laga. usaka svar vikrit aur vadan niras tha. andhakar ne use aur bhi aspasht bana diya tha.

yuvati van-palika vyakul hokar prabhat ki pratiksha karane lagi. sahasa yuvak ne usaka hath pak d liya. vah trast ho gee, boli-‘‘aparadhi, yah kya?’’

‘‘aparadhi hooan sundari!’’-abaki bar usaka svar parivartit tha. pagal prakriti parnakuti ko gherakar apani hansi mean phooti p dati thi. vah karasparsh unmadakari tha. kamini ki dhamaniyoan mean bahar ke barasati naloan ke saman rakt dau d raha tha. yuvak ke svar mean parichay tha, parantu yuvati ki vasana ke kutoohal ne bhay ka bahana khoj liya! bahar karakapat ke sath hi bijali kadaqi. van-palika ne doosara hath yuvak ke kanth mean dal diya.

andhakar hansane laga.

bhag 3

bahut din bit gaye. kitane hi baras aye aur chale gaye. vah kusum-kanan-jisamean mor, shuk aur pik, phooloan se ladi jha diyoan mean vihar karate the, ab ek jangal ho gaya. ab rajakumar vahaan nahian ate the. ab ve svayan raja haian. sukumar paude sookh gaye. vishalakay vrikshoan ne apani shakhaoan se jak d liya. us gahan van mean ek kone mean parnakuti thi, usamean ek stri aur usaka putr, dono rahate the.

donoan baheliyoan ka vyavasay karate; usi se unaka jivan-nirvah hota. pakshiyoan ko phansakar nagarikoan ke hath vah balak becha karata, kabhi-kabhi mrig-shavak bhi pak d le ata.

ek din van-palika ka putr ek sundar kurang pak dakar nagar ki or bechane ke lie le gaya. usaki pith par b di achchhi bootiyaan thian. vah darshaniy tha. raja ka putr apane tattoo par chadhaqar ghoomane nikala tha, usake rakshak sath the. rajaputr machal gaya. kishor mooly maangane laga. rakshakoan ne kuchh dekar use chhin lena chaha. kishor ne kurang ka phanda dhila kar diya. vah chhalaang bharata hua nikal gaya. rajaputr atyant hathi tha, vah rone laga. rakshakoan ne kishor ko pak d liya. ve use rajamandir ki or le chale.

vatayan se rani ne dekha, usaka lal rota hua laut raha hai. ek aandhi-si a gee. rani ne samachar sunakar us baheliye ke l dake ko beantoan se pite jane ki ajna di.

kishor ne bina roye-chillaye aur aansoo bahaye beantoan ki chot sahan ki. usaka sara aang kshat-vikshat tha, pi da se chal nahian sakata tha. mrigaya se lautate hue raja ne dekha. ek bar daya to aee, parantu usaka koee upayog n hua. rani ki ajna thi. van-palika ne raja ke nikal jane par kishor ko god mean utha liya. apane aansuoan se ghav dhoti huee, usane kaha-‘‘ah! ve kitane nirdayi haian!’’

phir kee varsh bit gaye. navin rajaputr ko mrigaya ki shiksha ke lie, lakshy sadhane ke lie, vahi nagaropakanth ka van sthir hua. vahaan rajaputr hiranoan par, pakshiyoan par tir chalata. van-palika ko ab phir kuchh labh hone laga. hiranoan ko haankane se pakshiyoan ka pata batane se, kuchh mil jata hai. parantu usaka putr kishor rajakumar ki mrigaya mean bhag n leta.

ek din basant ki ujali dhoop mean raja apane rajaputr ki mrigaya-pariksha lene ke lie, solah baras bad, us jangal mean aye. raja ka muanh ek bar vivarn ho gaya. us kusum kanan ke sabhi sukumar paudhe sookhakar lop ho gaye haian. unaki pe diyoan mean kahian-kahian do-ek aankur nikal kar apane prachin bij ka nirdesh karate the. raja svapn ke saman us atit ki kalpana kar rahe the.

aheriyoan ke vesh mean rajaputr aur usake samavayask jangal mean aye. kishor bhi apana dhanush liye ek or kh da tha. kurang par tir chhoote. kishor ka tir kurang ke kanth ko bedhakar rajaputr ki chhati mean ghus gaya. rajaputr achet hokar gir p da. kishor pak d liya gaya.

idhar van-palika raja ke ane ka samachar sunakar phool khojane lagi thi. us jangal mean ab kamini-kusum nahian the. usane madhook aur doorva ki sundar mala banaee, yahi use mile the.

raja krodh se unmatt the. pratihiansa se k dakakar bole-maro!-badhikoan ke tir chhoote? vah kamaniy-kalevar kishor prithvi par lotane laga. thik usi samay madhook-malika liye van-palika raja ke samane pahuanchi.

kathor niyati jab apana vidhan poorn kar chuki thi, tab kamini kishor ke shav ke pas pahuanchi! pagal-si usane mala raja ke oopar pheanki aur kishor ko god mean baitha liya. usaki nishchesht aankhe maun bhasha mean jaise maan-maan kah rahi thian! usane hriday mean ghus janevali aankhoan se ek bar raja ki or dekha. aur bhi dekha-rajaputr ka shav!

raja ek bar akash aur prithvi ke bich mean ho gaye. jaise vah kahaan-se-kahaan chale aye. rajaputr ka shok aur krodh, veg se bahati huee barasati nadi ki dhara mean bulle ke saman bah gaya. unaka hriday vishay-shoony ho gaya. ek bar sachet hokar unhoanne dekha aur pahachana-apana vahi-‘‘jirn kaushey ushnish.’’-‘‘van-palika!’’

‘‘raja’’-kamini ki aankhoan mean aansoo nahian the.

‘‘yah kaun tha?’’

gambhir svar mean sar nicha kiye van-palika ne kaha-‘‘aparadhi.’’

sanbandhit lekh

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